Keep Coming Back
by Pappii
Summary: For years, Kenya has been coming to Tokyo and spending time with Kamio. Kamio doesn't understand why.


Written for an OTPimp challenge for hibimaosuki of LJ. Makes me wanna write some more.****

Title: Keep Coming Back  
**Characters / Pairing:** Kenya, Kamio, Tachibana / Speed  
**Word Count:** +/- 1642  
**Rating:** G

* * *

"_That was good speed, Kamio. We will play seriously from now on."_

"_Not yet! I definitely can't lose… With Tachibana-san… Together, I want to…"_

"_It's okay now."_

Machines quietly beeped in the white room and a nurse pottered around, checking the IV bag hanging from its hook and the needle in the patient's arm before giving the visitor a small nod and quickly shuffling out of the room.

The blond watched her leave before closing the door after her and approaching the bedside. There was a seat, but he didn't take it. Instead, he placed his hands in his pockets and stared down at the red head lying unconscious before him.

He was slightly surprised that he had been able to visit Kamio alone, having expected his entire team – or at least the conscious ones – to be in here as well, but there was no one. No one but himself and the determined tennis player who had refused to give up and fought until he collapsed.

"You're amazing, Kamio Akira," he breathed quietly, finally deciding to pull the seat closer and sit in it. "Your teammates as well." He was still trying to comprehend it. The entire Fudomine team had pushed themselves so far, all determined to take their captain to the end of the Nationals. The blond lifted a hand to run his fingertips across Kamio's face, carefully brushing the fringe behind an ear to reveal his whole face.

Despite the cuts and bruises that littered the skin, there was still a sense of peaceful beauty there and Kenya found himself standing again so he could get a closer look. Red hair plus pale skin covered with testaments of his loyalty to his coach, captain and friend. It was an admirable beauty, those injuries, and Naniwa's Speed Star found himself softly pressing his palm against Kamio's cheek.

"Oshitari?"

Hearing his name, Kenya jumped and quickly pulled his hand away from the unconscious patient's face. He spun around to face the door, half-wondering why he hadn't heard it opening, and stared the Fudomine captain in the face.

"Tachibana."

Silence passed between them for a long moment before the taller third year finally stepped closer towards Kenya and the bed he stood beside, stopping directly in front of him. Hands resting in his pockets, the dash specialist tilted his head back to look Tachibana in the eye, the captain looking down at him.

"What are you doing?" If Tachibana was trying to seem intimidating, Kenya was unaffected – unsurprising considering he was friends with Gin, who seemed to intimidate everyone without even trying.

"Came to see Kamio," was the casual reply, accompanied by a glance over his shoulder at the mentioned red head before looking back up at the older captain. "He's a good player, but he could be better."

"What are you sayi—"

"I want to train him."

The stunned silence that filled the air was accentuated by the surprised look in Tachibana's face. Kenya fidgeted a little. It wasn't out of fear or nervousness, even if that was what it looked like. He had simply been standing still for too long and needed to move around.

"… Why?"

Kenya took a moment to think, turning away from the Fudomine captain to look back down at Kamio, standing right next to the bed. "If you can successfully combine strength and speed, you're left with an unstoppable doubles team. Tetsu has Gin to train him… and I can train Kamio. Yuushi lives locally so I can stay with him."

The blond clenched his fist inside his pocket so he wouldn't get the urge to reach out touch Kamio's face again. There was definitely more to it than that. He wanted to see just how determined this kid could get. He wanted to see how far Kamio would push himself. And, at the back of his mind, just a tiny part of him wanted to be the one to catch him when he collapsed.

Tachibana stared at the back of Kenya's head then over his shoulder in time to catch the slight twitch of Kamio's eyebrows. "I'll talk to him about it," he said calmly. "I will contact you with his decision."

Kenya knew that there was more to those words than was spoken and he took the unspoken hint that it was time to go. "Thank you, Tachibana," The blond gave him a brief bow before heading for the doorway and out of the hospital.

"What do you think Kamio?" Tachibana slowly turned his head from where he had been watching Kenya's retreating back to the hospital bed where the red head was slowly sitting himself up.

"I like his rhythm…"

"Why do you keep coming?"

Kenya blinked, pausing where he had been about to take a bite out of his burger. He closed his mouth again and looked over to the table to his companion who had just taken a bite out of his own hamburger and was eying him in curious disbelief. The blond simply shrugged and took a bite, mentally adding another point to the tally in his head - he had been asked that so many times now.

He was nineteen now, just finished his first year at university and spending his spring break in Tokyo with someone he had become good friends with in the past four years. Three out of four weekends of every month for those four years had been spent coming to Tokyo for the purpose of meeting up with a certain red head and training him. Eventually, the trainings had turned into training followed by a meal and more and more activities were added until they had a full weekend routine.

Visiting the burger join just down from the street courts was part of this routine, and would undoubtedly be followed by a trip to the arcade for the rest of the afternoon then head back to Kamio's for dinner and watch a movie.

"Do you want me to stop coming, Akira?" The blond asked when he had finished his burger, licking a spot of sauce from his fingertip. He looked and sounded oddly serious, which Kamio knew wasn't really a good thing. Kenya only ever got serious when he felt threatened or hurt.

"No," the red head said quietly, staring at his burger. "I just don't get why you want to keep coming. You even said yourself that I'm the fastest I'll ever be able to be. Besides, I've finished school now and you're in university already… Shouldn't you be saving time for your studies?"

The serious look was gone from Kenya's face and he laughed. "I'm doing a music degree, Akira. You've seen how easy that stuff is," He pointed out before sitting back in his seat. "Besides, you're the only one I know who can keep up with me and I don't like running by myself. Now let's get going. I think I'll be able to break my old record on the drumming game this week."

Kamio considered his friend's words for a moment as he stood and followed him to the arcade. There had to be something more to it than that. Why would Kenya give up almost all of his free time for four years just to train Kamio and keep his speed up? He made a note to ask him later.

"You picked a movie yet?"

"You finished setting up your futon yet?"

"Yes."

"… Really?"

"… No."

Kamio sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hated it when Kenya decided to stay the night. The blond always insisted on being difficult and not setting up his bed until the last minute – or doing what he was doing now and seemingly planning on just sleeping in the red-head's bed instead. Deciding not to push the matter, Kamio took a seat on his bed beside the blond and stared hard at him. Kenya blinked.

"Akira? What's up?" Kenya asked in confusion, lifting a hand to press it to his friend's forehead to check for a temperature. "You're not sick, are you?" As he dropped his hand, his fingers brushed over Kamio's cheek and a shiver ran down the younger's spine. He grabbed the falling wrist but continued to stare. "… Akira?"

Kamio didn't say anything, just keeping a hold on the older boy's wrist and staring Kenya in the eyes. He had been thinking all afternoon about what else could possibly keep the blond coming back almost every weekend for so long. It had been then that he remembered that day in the hospital after his match against Shitenhoji and the lingering hand that had touched his face. Remembering that, he had suddenly become more aware of the lingering touches that occurred whenever their skin touched and he wondered why he had never noticed it before.

Because no theory was good until it had been proven or disproven – and because Kamio was never the best with tact or beating around the bush – he shifted a little closer and leaned up to press his lips against Kenya's softly. Almost instantly, he felt the kiss being returned and he knew he'd been right.

He'd planned on pulling away after a few seconds but found that that would just be simply impossible, especially when he realized that maybe Kenya wasn't the only one who had wanted this. The hand holding Kenya's wrist shifted to hold his hand instead, their fingers entwining with each other as the red-head slowly let himself be pushed onto his back, the blond straddling his lap and never letting their lips part.

For a pair of speed demons, they were moving almost painfully slow and Kamio eventually pulled away for air, panting softly. "Is that why you keep coming back?" He asked breathlessly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It is now."


End file.
